Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

July 2017: 330 ml can, from Gulating Ølutsalg, Stavanger. ABV is 4.6%. Hazy brown colour, small off-white head. Aroma of piney hops, some spruce too. Medium dry flavour, distinct malts but even more distinct fruity and piney hops. The fruitiness helps the drinkability a lot.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

October 2014: Shared 660 ml bottle, at local tasting. ABV is 4.7%. Black colour, beige head. Aroma of piney hops, mild roasty notes. Dry flavour with some bitter coffee notes and piney American hops.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Vintage 2012. Shared 660 ml bottle at local tasting, Aug. 2014. Very dark brown colour, nearly black, minimal tan head. Vinous aroma, notes of oak, hints of cider and calvados. Mild roasty notes in the background. Minimal carbonation. Warming mouthfeel. Very oaky flavour, roasty chocolate notes with hints of cider and calvados. Nice, but a little more carbonation would be an advantage.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

March 2017: On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar (Moor Night), Stavanger. Golden colour, huge white head. Aroma of piney and grassy hops, also some grapefruit. Smooth mouthfeel. Piney and grapefruity hops in the flavour too, a tad more dry than sweet. Reasonably bitter finish.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

March 2017: Shared can at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Moor Night presentation. ABV is 4.5%. Dark brown colour, large beige head. Pleasant fruity aroma, some pine and lightly roasted malts in the background. Discrete roast malts and piney hops in the dry flavour.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

March 2017: Shared can at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Moor Night presentation. Pale golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of Citra hops, hints of spruce. Pine and grapefruit in the flavour, fairly dry. The mouthfeel is a bit thin.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Nov. 2017: Small sample from 660 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. Black colour. More of a stout than an old ale in my book, but decent enough to drink. Roasty and slightly spicy aroma and flavour. "Liquid Christmas pudding"? Not quite, which probably is an advantage for the drinkability.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

February 2013: 660 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård. ABV is 4.7%. Dark brown to ruby colour, nearly black. Large beige head. Dryish roasty aroma, notes of coffee and dust, hints of woodwork. The dry flavour has also notes of coffee, hints of dark chocolate, unsweetened liquorice and wood, hints of ashes. Medium bitter finish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

March 2017: Shared can at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Moor Night presentation. Golden colour, white head. Nice aroma of fruity hops, some spruce in the background. Fruity / citric flavour, with a resinous and bitter finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

March 2017: Shared can at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Moor Night presentation. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate earthy aroma. Very "English" flavour, earthy and herbal hops, sufficient malts for its ABV, medium dry.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

June 2013: 660 ml bottle conditioned, from Voldby Købmandsgård. ABV is 4.0%. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy. Moderate white head. Lovely hoppy aroma, citrussy and herbal notes. Light bodied, but not watery. The flavour has a solid hoppy character throughout, notes of herbs, pine and grapefruit. Very enjoyable.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

August 2017: On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Deep orange colour, large off-white head. Aroma of smoked malts, smoked meat and smoked fish. Slightly dry flavour, with a certain fruitiness that helps the drinkability a lot. Also distinct notes of smoked malts, moderate hops. I might not be the world's biggest fan of smoked beers in general, but this is one I could happily drink again - and again.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

March 2017: Shared can at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Moor Night presentation. Pale golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of Aussie hops. Herbal and grapefruity hops in the flavour, notes of pine and spruce too, medium dry. Moderate bitterness. Light bodied.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

March 2017: On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar (Moor Night), Stavanger. Black colour, moderate tan head. Roasty aroma, notes of mild coffee, hints of chocolate and wood, a whiff of smoke. Smooth mouthfeel. Moderately roasty flavour, medium dry, woody notes, again a whiff of smoke, while a slight fruitiness helps the drinkability. Moderate but noticeable hops in the finish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

July 2017: 330 ml can, from Gulating Ølutsalg, Stavanger. ABV is 4.1%. Hazy yellow colour, moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of fruity and herbal hops. Light bodied. Medium dry flavour with fruity and herbal hops first, piney and resinous bittering hops in the finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

341 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5%. Crystal clear pale yellow colour, large white head. Boring aroma, like an industrial pale lager: a little "dusty" malts, boiled vegetables and a weak hint of grassy hop. The flavour is much like a "premium" industrial lager, with some fruity and malty notes, and very modest hops in the finish. Not undrinkable, but pretty far from anything a decent brewery with some self respect would call a "pale ale".

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottle, RBESG 2005 Grand Tasting. Amber colour. Aroma is smoke and oak with some brown sugar and white pepper notes. Flavour is moderately smokey with faint notes of tar, fairly dry. Okay.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask (hand pump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival 2011. ABV is 4.0%. Golden colour, low head. Moderate aroma of fudge, butterscotch and some fruit. Smooth flavour, some butterscotch and a little citrus. Hoppy finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.4%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, fizzy, large head. Sweetish aroma with notes of grass, honey and butterscotch. The flavour has some malts and butterscotch (diacetyl), moderately sweet, and very moderate hops. Rubbery finish. Soft mouthfeel. Could have been worse.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle conditioned. 500 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Beautiful amber colour, huge and fluffy head lasts "forever". Lovely hoppy aroma, also notes of red wine vinegar, oak and barnyard. Interesting flavour with a substantial hoppy bitterness, oaky and vinous notes. Relatively dry. Notes of balsamic vinegar too, but the beer is neither sour nor sweet (does that make sense?). A very good beer in my book.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Rerate, cask conditioned at the Robin Hood & Little John, a large Greene King pub in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge. The Old Speck’ was in perfect nick, even better than the bottled version which I think is fairly decent for a pasteurized beer. Nut brown colour, low head. Aroma and flavour of nuts, toffee and caramel with a nice but not overdone hoppiness throughout. A solid pint from this ever-expanding regional (now national) brewery, much better than the cask Abbot Ale that I had afterwards. Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Beautiful brown / dark golden colour, moderate to low head. Moderate malty aroma, malty flavour with a good bitterness. A decent ale I always come back too, as it's now available in Norway.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

375 ml bottle, corked champagne style. In France. Brown colour, large head. Aroma of barnyard, ensilage and red wine vinegar. Sour & sweet flavour with notes of claret and red wine vinegar. The recipe includes maize (corn) and ascorbic acid. A drinkable gueuze, but I’m not impressed.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

375 ml corked bottle (champagne style). Enormous thick head, red colour, aroma is cherries (no surprise!) and red wine vinegar. Flavour is not nearly as sweet as Lindemans Kriek, quite dry really. Light bodied, but lots of cherries of course. Refreshing. Initially a little peppery bite. Moderately acidic.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Shared bottle at local tasting. Deep golden colour, low white head. Lovely and beguiling aroma of brettanomyces lambicus, white wine vinegar and farmhouse. Sour and acidic flavour, clean, lemony and vinegary - but (in a perverted sense): GOOD!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Shared 250 ml bottle at local tasting, bought at Carrefour, Cartagena, Spain. ABV is 4.3%. Hazy red colour, moderate pinkish-white head. Intense sweetish aroma of ripe and over-ripe raspberries. Sweet flavour of ripe raspberries and raspberry jam. Little here to remind you that this actually is a beer.